Chapter 5
FRIENDS
AND FAMILY IN GRANVILLE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA:
SHAPARD
CONNECTIONS TO THE WEBB, VASS, TOWNLEY, EDMUNDSON AND BOOKER FAMILIES
William Shapard was drawn to Granville County
though favorable reports from numerous friends and family members whom had
migrated there over the years. There seemed to have been a pattern of community
in migration as friends and family would gradually congregate at a new location
on the frontier for a few years, before venturing off again as new
opportunities arose. Such was the pioneering spirit of these early American settlers.
William’s brother, John Shapard, seems to have been the first from this group
to migrate to Granville County. In 1763, John left Virginia and settled about 8
miles southeast of Oxford on the north side of the Tarr River on Tabbs Creek,
and with his slaves engaged in agriculture. John remained in Granville County,
North Carolina, until about 1781; after which, he may have moved to South
Carolina, before eventually settling in Franklin County, Georgia.
The most significant relationship
influencing the Shapard migration to Granville County was the Webb family of
Essex County, Virginia. In order to appreciate the prevalence of this
connection, it is important to understand how the Shapard pedigree is intertwined
with that of the Webb line through the Edmunson, Vass, Townley and Booker families:
James Webb (1673 – 1731) married Sarah _?_
circa 1698 and had numerous children, two of which were James Webb (1705 –
1771) and John Webb (1700 – 1767). Their son James Webb (1705 – 1771) of Essex
County, Virginia, owned land on the Dragon Swamp and married Mary Edmundson
(1712 – 1795), the daughter of Benjamin Edmundson and Margaret [Underwood?]. Two
of James and Mary Webb’s children with a Shapard connection were Elizabeth Webb
(1754 – 1830) and John Webb (1747 – 1826). Elizabeth Webb (1754 – 1830) married
Philip Vass (1750 – 1825). Their daughter Elizabeth Vass married John S.
Shapard (1782 – 1857) on October 15, 1808, who was the son of William and Mary
Shapard. John Webb (1747 – 1826) married Amy Booker (1752 – 1835), who was the
sister of Mary Booker (wife of William Shapard).
James Webb’s (1673 – 1731) son John Webb
(1700 – 1767) married Jane Smith and they had a daughter Elizabeth Webb (1736 –
1773) who married James Edmundson. The Edmundson name is prevalent in the Webb
family and also relates to the Shapard lineage as well. Thomas Edmundson (1645
- ?) had two sons: Benjamin and James (? – 1741). Benjamin Edmundson was the
father of Mary Edmundson (1712 – 1795) who married James Webb (1705 – 1771).
Thomas’ son James Edmundson (? – 1741) married Judith Alleman and among their
children were Thomas Edmundson (? – 1759) and Sarah Edmundson. Thomas Edmundson
(? – 1759) married Dorothy Todd and after her death he married Hannah Graves. Thomas
Edmundson’s (? – 1759) child was James Edmunson who married Elizabeth Webb
(1736 – 1773), the daughter of John Webb and Jane Smith. James Edmundson’s (? –
1741) daughter Sarah married John Townley (1712 – 1772) of King and Queen
County. After Sarah’s death, John Townley married, circa 1754, Mildred Shapard,
widow of Samuel Shapard (1700 – 1752). John Townley was William Shapard’s
stepfather.
William Shapard’s sister, Sarah, married
Thomas Vass (1738-1817) of King and Queen County who appears to have been a
brother to Philip Vass (1750 – 1825) who married Elizabeth Webb (1754 – 1830),
by way of their lineage stemming from Vincent Vass (1660 – 1727) of South
Farnham Parish, Essex County who married Ann Sharpe. Vincent and Ann had only one
son, John Vass (1693 – 1755) who married Rachel Pendleton, who was the daughter
of Philip Pendleton (1650 – 1721). Philip was the first of their line to arrive
in America from England. John and Rachel had numerous children: Philip,
Vincent, John Jr., Henry, Ruben, Ann and Catherine. The name “Philip” became
prominent in the lineage of these children. Interestingly, in 1786, Thomas Vass
(1738-1817) and his wife Sarah (Shapard), migrated to the northeast corner of
what is now Person County, North Carolina, bordering Granville County. Thomas
became a Baptist minister and in 1791, migrated to Granville County, and became
the pastor of Grassy Creek Baptist Church until 1805, when he moved to Stokes
County, North Carolina. He was recalled to Grassy Creek in 1808, serving until
his retirement in 1814. He died in 1817 and was interred in the family burial
ground near Mountain Creek Church in Granville County. His first wife was a
daughter of Thomas Foster. His second wife, circa 1770, was Sarah Shapard, who
appears to have died between 1791 and 1800. His third wife, circa 1811, was
Lucretia Cooke, widow of Edward Cooke.
As far as William Shapards migration to
Granville County North Carolina is concerned, the greatest influence stemmed
from John Webb (1747 – 1826) who was married to Amy Booker, sister of Mary
(Booker) Shapard. John Webb’s sister, Mary Webb (1740 – 1827) who married
Samuel Smith (1720 – 1800), seems to have been the first of this line of Webbs
to migrate to Granville County North Carolina. In 1766, Mary and Samuel left
Essex County, Virginia, and originally settled on a tract of land off Grassy
Creek in the northern part of Granville County, North Carolina. In 1771, Samuel
Smith became a Justice of the Peace. He was commissioned, in 1778, as a Colonel
in the Granville Militia Regiment during the Revolutionary War, and was granted
2,888 acres in Granville County for his service. His massive plantation,
named
‘Abram’s Plains,’ was located 12 miles north of Oxford in what would become
known as the Abram’s Plains District. Samuel Smith was a devout Presbyterian
while in Granville County, and was a leading member of the nearby Grassy Creek
Church congregation where he and his wife attended services. Samuel and his
wife Mary were buried at the family plot on their former plantation near
Stovall.
On August 20, 1771, John Webb’s (1747 –
1826) older brother William Webb (1745 – 1809) of Essex County, Virginia, who
married Frances Young (1749 – 1810), was the second Webb to migrate to
Granville County, North Carolina, where he purchased land at Grassy Creek near
Samuel Smith’s original settlement. In 1777, he purchased land at Tally Ho
about eight-and-a-half miles southwest of Oxford, where he remained for the
rest of his life. On December 26, 1778, William and Frances donated land to the
trustees of the Presbyterian congregation at Grassy Creek (located near
Stovall) and Nut Bush Creek (located near Townsville). William and Frances Webb
were buried in the Webb Family Cemetery on their plantation along present day
Garrett Farm Road off of highway 75 between the towns of Providence and Stem.
John Webb’s (1745 – 1809) sister,
Elizabeth Webb (1754 – 1830), who had married Philip Vass (1750 – 1825) was the
third of this Webb family to migrate to Granville County. In 1780, they
originally purchased land near the present-day town of Oak Hill, but moved in
1782, settling near Tally Ho, in close proximity to William Webb’s plantation.
Philip Vass (1750 – 1825) was appointed Commissioner for Granville County for
tax collection on August 7, 1781. During the Revolutionary War, he was
appointed as Commissary and in charge of supplying food and supplies to the
Continental Army. In 1783, Philip and
Elizabeth migrated a short distance from Granville County settling in Caswell
County, where he owned land in the extreme northeast corner of the county. A
few yards to the north of his land was Halifax County, Virginia, and a few
yards to the east was Granville County, North Carolina. In 1792, his land was
incorporated into the newly formed Person County which was created from the
eastern portion Caswell County. In 1792, Philip served as the Sheriff of Person
County. In 1805, Philip purchased land in Halifax County, Virginia, and shortly
thereafter, became totally blind. Mr. Vass lived out the remainder of his life
in Halifax County, dying in 1825. Interestingly, Philip Vass’ daughter,
Elizabeth, married William and Mary Shapard’s son, John S. Shapard. From all
accounts, Mr. Vass did not favor his son-in-law, believing him to be a
drunkard.
The fourth member of the Webb family to
reach Granville was John Webb (January 18, 1747 – August 29, 1826) and his wife
Amy Booker (August 27, 1752 - March 25, 1835), whom were married in 1772. John
migrated from Essex County, Virginia, to the Goshen District of Granville
County, North Carolina, in 1782, where he purchased the former plantation of
his brother-in-law Philip Vass (1750 – 1825).
John and Amy resided near the present-day town of Oak Hill. In 1786, they had 15 slaves working the
plantation. John Webb was a Captain in the Revolutionary Army, having his own Company.
On January 26, 1778, John had advanced to the rank of Major and then on July 4,
1783, he was made a Lieutenant Colonel in the 5th Virginia Regiment.
Early in the war he was used heavily for recruiting purposes, and acquired men
from the counties of Essex, King and Queen, and Middlesex. He was known as “a plain, blunt man of a great deal
of rugged force of character."
After moving to Granville County, it
appears that John Webb became a lawyer or acquired a vast knowledge of the law.
Religiously, he was highly affiliated with the Grassy Creek Presbyterian Church,
where he became an elder along with Samuel Smith and John Young, among others.
Note that Samuel Smith was the husband of John’s sister Mary Webb, and John
Young was brother to Francis Young, wife of John’s brother William Webb. In
1822, John Webb and the other members of the church helped organize the Spring
Grove Presbyterian Church, located closer to his home, which later became known
as the Oak Hill Church. John was described by his granddaughter, Frances M.
(Webb) Bumpass, as; “…a man of the strictest integrity, plain in his manners,
he thought and acted candidly, was remarkable for his firmness of character,
his action was governed by firm principles. Though his heart was sympathetic he
never permitted feeling to interfere with duty.” John Webb died on August 29,
1826, and was buried in the Oak Hill Church Cemetery, Oxford, Granville County,
Virginia.
Despite her husband’s Presbyterian
affiliation, Amy Booker Webb (August 27, 1752 - March 25, 1835) was a member of
the Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal Church at Oak Hill. Upon her death on March
25, 1835, she had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for 48 years
(since 1787). Amy Webb was buried next to her husband in the Oak Hill Cemetery.
John and Amy had the following children: Elizabeth (b.1773), Thomas (b.1776),
James (b. 1779), Mary (b. 1782), Ann (b. 1784) who married John F. Patillo (son
of Rev. Henry and Mary (Anderson) Patillo, Presbyterian minister) in 1808, John
Webb (b. 1787), William (b. 1787), Lewis (b. July 15, 1789) married Ann Nutall
in 1818, Isaac (b. 1709), Amy (b. 1794) and Susanna (b.1796).
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